Abstract

Three species of sap-sucking eurymelid bugs, including the economically significant Ipoides melaleucae Evans, form nymphal aggregations tended by ants, Iridomyrmex spp., on saplings of Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Melaleuca viridiflora in tropical northwestern Australia. Experimental exclusion of the ants increased bug mortality rates significantly (P < 0.01), by a factor of approximately 2.5. The increased mortality occurred almost entirely at night: nocturnal mortality rates increased 3-4 times (P < 0.01), whereas diurnal mortality did not increase significantly. Mortality was apparently due to nocturnal predation by small spiders rather than attack by parasitoid wasps or predatory insects. This is the first study to distinguish the effects of diurnal and nocturnal suites of predators and parasitoids on ant-tended Homoptera. It suggests that the role of nocturnal interactions may have been underestimated, at least for tropical Homoptera.

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